WHAT IS STOPPING YOU FROM ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS?

Life is said to be too short, but most of us don’t feel it until we start nearing the end - only then do we really think about and regret our choices. Think about the following two questions:

1.      What was always your biggest dream?

2.      Did you realize that dream during your life?

If your answer to the second question is no, then you are wasting your precious time. Once you learn to recognize the routines and customs that cause this, you can avoid them and start to fulfill your dreams actively and consciously

In order to achieve our goals, we need to change our behavior, which leads to us becoming better versions of ourselves. Perhaps, we’re not quite ready for change because we haven’t developed the necessary success habits, haven’t eliminated unhealthy and unproductive activities, and have so many distractions that we hardly know what’s really important.

1. You think you deserve a better deal.

You want to achieve certain things in life, but you are greedy and unappreciative of what you already have, because you think you deserve better. Many, for instance, want not just to be offered a good job with a high salary and work hard to make money and increase the quality of their life, but they want to be rich, and they want it now. That’s a wrong approach.

First, you need to be grateful for what you already have. Only then will you feel some abundance and will realize that you have the power to turn it into something more? And you’ll feel the need to work for that, to give something in return and to then enjoy the fruits of your labor.

 

2. You are afraid of failure

We have a wrong perception of what failure is. Most people fear failure and it makes them not even try because of the chance of not succeeding. Because it can be easy to fail in many things, people become paralyzed with the fear of failure, and they end up never seeing their dreams come true. The truth is, failure is a precious gift. It’s an inevitable step on your way to success, and a step you’ll likely need to take more than once. Failure is proof that you’re trying, you’re doing something to get what you want, and you’re not giving up. Failure gives you the lessons and experiences you’ll need to become stronger, have more willpower, and be more focused. There is no better example than Thomas Edison who said “I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that won’t work!”

 

 3. Focusing on the end result

We often don’t want to wait and put in the hard work.  We want a quick result! It’s important to remember that things don’t work that way. The only thing to do is fall in love with the process and focus less on the end result. When you focus on doing what needs to be done day in and day out, you’ll get the end result you wanted. 

 

4. You are full of excuses

You often hear yourself saying:

I’m not ready;
It’s not the right time;
I’m not good enough;
I’m too old/young;
I don’t have enough money/time/experience;
Most people don’t succeed anyway, neither will I;
Maybe I’m not meant to do it;
It’s too hard;
It will take too long;
I may do it wrong;
People will laugh at me

This will make you the worst enemy of your success. Train your mind to think differently. Realize that your mind is tricky and prefers to stay in its comfort zone, doing the same old activities and tasks on autopilot, and not try anything new. That’s why it’s making up all these excuses, which can often sound quite convincing. Your job is to eliminate them, to even exaggerate them, and see how ridiculous they sound. Because if you choose the other option – if you believe them – you’ll never do anything different with your life and will never see the things you desire come true.

 

5. You are a procrastinator

Keep in mind one thing: now is the best time to do what you want, any other time is later than now. The present moment is where you create your future and the only time you can be productive and work on what you believe in. The only cure for procrastination is to start doing something immediately, without thinking and giving your mind time to come up with excuses. Without doubting your abilities and fearing failure make a small but definite step forward.

 

6. You spend too much time doing things you don’t need to do

Whether you sit every night and watch television for hours on end or spend your time in front of your computer skimming through a social network, or watching reels in your smartphone you should start taking your life more seriously. Think about the way you choose to spend most of your free time and ask yourself if it somehow helps your life move forward and helps you become better - do your actions help you create a foundation for the future you want to live? If not, you probably need to re-evaluate your routine and make changes.

 

7. You complain too much

Some people, without even knowing it, hate their lives, and they don’t stop sharing this fact with others. Do you think you’re like that? Do you complain about your boss, your salary, or your noisy neighbors? If so, you probably don’t do anything but project negative energy into your environment, and negativity doesn’t help anything, it just makes you stuck. Change the way you think, and talk to your friends about the things you love in life, not about the things that are bothering you.

 

8. You don’t feed your brain

We don’t stop growing after puberty, we stop growing when we stop learning new things. If you don’t continue to learn new things and improve your knowledge, you will degenerate and stay stagnant, just like a still lake which becomes scummy - that's what happens to your brain if you don’t keep it active and teach it new things. Thought provoking challenges help you expand your knowledge and improve your thinking, so don’t avoid them even if learning something new seems like a difficult task - you have to be a little bad at first to get better.

 

9. You aren’t inspired

Do you have a desire for something? There are many people who go to work every morning, go home, watch television and go to bed, and believe they have no passion for anything, but that's never the case. Each of us has something we enjoy doing which adds to our life, and you have to rediscover what excites you and put more of it into your life.

 

10. You expect a lot from others

Stop expecting so much. It’s a destructive behavior that brings deep disappointment in your life. You expect things to turn out in a certain way, you expect people to behave as you imagine them to, and whenever that doesn’t work out, you feel upset and lose any motivation to take action. Ditch these fantasies you live in, eliminate the scenarios you play in your head of how things should be, and accept them as they are. Create circumstances, don’t imagine them and then start expecting them to fall in place accordingly.

 

11. You have too many negative conversations with yourself

Sometimes our thoughts can ruin our day. Henry Ford said, "Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - you're right," which means that if you tell yourself that you are too exhausted to make a difference in your life, you're right because that's what you decided. However, if you tell yourself you're smart and talented enough to get promoted or start your own business, you're also right. Whatever you tell yourself will become your reality, so be aware of your thoughts and adapt them to the life you want to live.

 

12. You’re not planning for the future

While it is recommended for each of us to live in the moment, sometimes we have to look into the future and make sure we are on the path we need to be on. If you don’t have a goal or a plan of some sort, you’re like a sailor on a boat sailing the sea without a sail expecting to get to a good place, but chances are that that won’t happen. You have to create a plan of action which will help you reach your safe haven - just like choosing a destination on a GPS. Once you have a goal in mind, you’ll know which opportunities will take you to it.

 

13. You lack consistency

Lack of consistency is a big vice, because with whatever you do, you won’t see any progress if you don’t do it each day. Consistency is a trait of successful people, and it becomes a habit, like everything else. But without it, you won’t get far. It’s better to do something for 15-30 minutes every single day than to only do something once a week for hours. Stay consistent and develop that habit. 

 

14. You spend too much time with people who don’t contribute to your well-being

It is very easy to get stuck with negative people who don’t help us feel that we are better people than we think we are. Sometimes, we even call these people friends, but it's important that you know that these people are pulling you down with them. People like this are "energy vampires" because they draw the spirit of life from others and do not give anything positive in return. Instead of spending too much time with such people, identify the friends and acquaintances who make you feel proud and happy, and surround yourself with them. Robin Cook says surround yourself with ‘a circle of geniuses’.

 

15. You are addicted to your smartphone

The smartphone is one of the most useful gadgets added to our lives in recent years, but you should be aware of the time you spend on it. Think about how the use of a smartphone affects your relationship in your home environment or while you're with friends; are you locked onto the screen at dinner with your family, or are you communicating with acquaintances while you sit for a cup of coffee with a friend? If so, you are missing out on the meaningful entertainment and intimate relationship with the people you love.

 

16. You spend money on things that don’t matter

There is a big difference between "want" and "need," and certainly your parents tried to teach it to you at a young age. However, the line between these two has become very blurred in today's society, and some people fail to pay their mortgage but still manage to spend their money on non-essential products. If you stop for a moment and think about it, you’ll find that there are very few things you really need in life; water, food, a home, and love are part of that list. All other things are extra, so think about your expenses and make changes accordingly.

 

17. You don’t get enough sleep

You don’t have to be a doctor to know how important sleep is to our health. If you're awake till the early hours doing chores, you’re probably wasting your free time during the day on things that are not necessary. This is a bad habit that should be stopped because poor sleep can cause fatigue that will rob you of the desire to do the things you need to do to sustain your life. Time is our most precious asset. Use it miserly and use it purposefully. It is a precious currency with which you can buy success by spending it to your advantage.

 

18. You don’t take care of your body

Beyond the fact that adequate sleep is important for health, it is also necessary to keep the body active and maintain its health, just as you would your car. Your body is the vehicle that drives your soul, and you must help it stay healthy by eating a balanced, healthy diet and exercising, not just for weight loss, but to maintain its strength. It will affect you mentally and change your attitude toward life. Start with small changes, and if you see that you persist in them consider increasing your efforts - the more you do to keep your health, the better your life will look.

 

19. You don’t step out of your comfort zone

It’s easy to stay in a comfortable place, but if we don’t take calculated risks in life, it’ll never be able to improve enough to satisfy us. Note that there is a difference between "risk" and "calculated risk", since just any risk can lead to a negative outcome, but a calculated risk is one in which our chances of achieving a positive outcome are higher. Just think of a plan of action and go with it wholeheartedly.

 

20. You don’t love your life

Success and happiness come hand in hand, because the way to test how successful a person is, is to measure his level of happiness. Do you feel happy? If not, you may need to make a significant difference in your life. Even feelings of satisfaction or contentment aren’t indicative of a life lived to the fullest - life needs to excite you! If you don’t enjoy your life, you have to make some changes that will lead you to a better place.

 

If these 20 signs sound familiar to you, don’t be discouraged. You can change your life, but first, you have to get rid of the little voice in your head telling you it's impossible. Most of the time our biggest obstacle to success is the pattern of thoughts in our head. Change your way of thinking and speaking to yourself and gradually the way you perceive and experience life will change as well.